S01.E09: Finish the Song

[ghoulina]

On 7/25/2016 at 10:30 AM, SoSueMe said:

Does anyone here have a clue about the hillside concrete formation at the bus stop? So cool, I wonder if it serves some purpose or is just a landscaping feature.

I have to change my original comment, because I see several people noticed the BB connection as well, but that was the first thing I thought of. 

 

19 hours ago, Conan Troutman said:

Emily's my favorite character along with Cassidy, loved how casual she was in getting rid of the mayor (after getting some inspiration from Psycho, to boot!). Yeah, that wasn't very nice, but who cares

 The scene she was watching featured Bates talking about us all being stuck in a trap of some sorts. I don't know exactly what the nature of Emily's relationship with the mayor was, how it originated, etc. but I always got a creepy vibe from him - as if he was using his power to get what he wanted from her. I didn't have any problems with her feeding that douchebag to Cassidy. 

On 7/25/2016 at 10:50 AM, SoSueMe said:

Definitely a couple I think, they didn't want to be separated and DeBlanc kept Fiore from being used by the travel agent.

Yup. I never caught it before then, but that little bit about them being separated made it very clear, to me. 

 

On 7/25/2016 at 3:08 PM, SnarkyTart said:

Good episode last night.  I enjoyed it, with perhaps my only complaint being how many times they re-wound the gunslinger shooting up the bar sequence.  Three or four times were enough to convey his hell was that groundhog day.  More than that was a waste of time, at least for me.

I agree. I thought that was actually a really cool sequence, but it did become overkill with how many times they played it. 

 

16 hours ago, Portia said:

Bonus points to you for using the correct singular form! My husband is 99.99% in the bag for this show, but the one thing  he can't  get past is DeBlanc and Fiore (or Hamburger and Hot Dog, as they're  known as at our house) referring to one being  as "a seraphim." 

Ahhh, thank you for the lesson, I wouldn't have known that either. Also, love the nicknames! I have a hard time understanding those two, so I've never caught their actual names. 

 

14 hours ago, MrPissyPuppy said:

From the show, DeBlanc says,  "She's one of the seraphim.  Angels of the first order."   In response to Jesse asking what she wants, "Order and control.  (sarcastically) Peace."    

Well, the angels were sent here on a mission, correct? To get that entity back from Jesse. But they've bungled it, they've not succeeded. I got the impression that they were wanted back, what with all the phone calls they weren't answering. It seems they've gone a bit rogue, so the seraph (see? I'm learning!) was sent down because they're now in big trouble. 

[PatternRec]

1 hour ago, ghoulina said:

You know you're becoming fully immersed in this show when you're yelling at the sheriff - "Don't kill her, she's a seraphim!" and it doesn't feel weird at all. 

That scene was disturbing. I went from "don't kill her, she's a seraphim" to "wtf? don't kill her with your fucking hands!" 

[Dirtybubble]

1 hour ago, ghoulina said:

My husband is 99.99% in the bag for this show, but the one thing  he can't  get past is DeBlanc and Fiore (or Hamburger and Hot Dog, as they're  known as at our house)

LoL--a blogger I read calls them Tall and Small so that's what I go by. 

 

6 minutes ago, PatternRec said:

That scene was disturbing. I went from "don't kill her, she's a seraphim" to "wtf? don't kill her with your fucking hands!" 

IKR?!  I was half expecting her to walk up behind him and touch him on his shoulder or something. 

I don't know if this was mentioned or not but someone earlier asked whose heads those where that the cowboy had wrapped up; I rewatched the episode and once he threw them on the floor one of the patrons in the bar said that they were the children.  Children from the school I guess?

[Captanne]

If anyone streams the show like I do, Netflix has a grizzly series about a rampage killer in the UK (it's fictional) and Small plays the father of a young girl who is one of the first victims.  He's quite good in the role even though the character is a bit of a shit.

[ghoulina]

1 hour ago, PatternRec said:

That scene was disturbing. I went from "don't kill her, she's a seraphim" to "wtf? don't kill her with your fucking hands!" 

That's a good point. Strangulation is pretty intimate. It seemed a bit too easy for him to go right to that. 

[Captanne]

I thought it was very pointed that she reappeared and he didn't see her.  In other words, they made a clear point that he strangled her and had absolutely no idea of who or what she is.  He killed a suffering but alive woman, with the ability to still speak intelligible words, with his bare hands while staring her in the eyes -- and that's all he knows.

Edited July 27, 2016 by Captanne

[Bruinsfan]

He was crying as he did it, which leads me to believe that if DeBlanc and Fiore don't cross paths with Eugene in the next episode Sheriff Root may be reuniting with him.

[Dirtybubble]

5 hours ago, Captanne said:

I thought it was very pointed that she reappeared and he didn't see her.  In other words, they made a clear point that he strangled her and had absolutely no idea of who or what she is.  He killed a suffering but alive woman, with the ability to still speak intelligible words, with his bare hands while staring her in the eyes -- and that's all he knows.

Talk about having a bad day.  First Jesse is like oh I sent your son to hell and now he has to do this?! 

I've always been on the fence about Root.  In a lot of ways I like him because he takes care and stands up for Eugene but then there are times when he yells at him for no reason.  Enh just human I guess. 

Quote

That's a good point. Strangulation is pretty intimate. It seemed a bit too easy for him to go right to that. 

At first I wondered why he didn't shoot her, it would have been quicker, but I figured he didn't want the sound of the gun to attract the attention of the guy outside *shrug*.  Plus he would have to explain the bullet in the body that was from his gun *shrug*.  IDK there doesn't seem to be a strong forensic team in the area to check up on stuff like this.  A lot of times it seems like this little town in TX seems to be separate from reality.

Edited July 27, 2016 by Dirtybubble

[SnarkyTart]

12 hours ago, ghoulina said:

Well, the angels were sent here on a mission, correct? To get that entity back from Jesse. But they've bungled it, they've not succeeded. I got the impression that they were wanted back, what with all the phone calls they weren't answering. It seems they've gone a bit rogue, so the seraph (see? I'm learning!) was sent down because they're now in big trouble. 

I've been under the impression that the angels weren't sent here. Their job had been to be the keepers of Genesis, and not to let him escape.  Somehow, they failed. (I have a feeling we'll find out more about that later, but my guess is that they failed by being too "soft" with the fledgling god, like maybe letting him out of his coffee can and singing him lullabies.)  I interpreted the earlier Fiore and Deblanc episodes to mean that their heavenly superiors didn't know, at least initially, that Genesis had escaped and that Fiore and Deblanc had gone to planet earth to retrieve him.  I think the incessant ringing of the heaven phone was their superiors demanding to know where they, and more importantly, Genesis, were. 

[pezgirl7]

Yes, I thought the angels said they were on an unsanctioned trip down to earth. I don't know why the seraphim have to look so cold and creepy considering their angelic beings.

[Snookums]

Quote

I never got a couple vibe from the angels either until the one said "my dear".

Guys, I don't think they're just a couple; I think they're the couple. The angel and demon who fell in love, did a special handshake, and made baby Genesis.

It's clear they don't want to be separated, they don't want each other to make a physical sacrifice of their sexy human bodies to the travel agent, blah blah blah. But I've been thinking this for a while, and what sealed it for me is when DeBlanc says, when they agree to call Heaven, that Fiore has "no idea what it's like down there"--that is, in hell. It makes sense that a demon would have a better handle on how to act "human" than an angel, and that an angel would be more tempted by fast food commercials and comic books because he's not usually around them. 

So their punishment has basically been being their kid's jailers until it somehow escaped its coffee can prison, said they can't make it clean up its room or do its homework if it doesn't wanna, and ran off. Jesse is the equivalent of a car Genesis stole for a joyride. 

On another front, damn, Em, you cold! But I didn't blame her. I mean, it's harsh but like everyone else I definitely got a skeezy vibe from Miles, he did agree to cover up Quincannon's murders, and it's clear he's just decided the parameters of their "relationship"; he does all these nice things for her, and in return she owes him sex, attention, room in her life, probably an eventual marriage situation. And until now she's never faced the fact that she's been ready to kill him. Not  "arrgh, I could just have killed him for doing X," but "I need you out of my life. And by my life I mean YOUR LIFE." 

Because where is she going to go? Even if it was possible to sell her house she's got no friends or family outside of Anneville. She can't get another job. He's the mayor. He won't leave her alone. A nice stalker who picks up your groceries is still a stalker. He had no hesitation in encroaching on her life because he knew she couldn't leave. He's basically Eugene but instead of a gun he aims his Nice Guy-ness at her, dead eye.

[Captanne]

He was also about to rape her -- right?  He told her on that phone call that he was going to stay the night and didn't give her any room to say no.  His intentions were clear.

[Dirtybubble]

8 hours ago, Snookums said:

Guys, I don't think they're just a couple; I think they're the couple. The angel and demon who fell in love, did a special handshake, and made baby Genesis.

Mind blown!  Wow, call me stupid but I didn't even put that together.  From what you've described it makes sense though.  I hope we find out in Sunday's episode if this is true.

[fastiller]

10 hours ago, Snookums said:

Guys, I don't think they're just a couple; I think they're the couple. The angel and demon who fell in love, did a special handshake, and made baby Genesis.

 

I can buy it.  And like @Dirtybubble, I hope we find out on Sunday.

[Unclejosh]

5 hours ago, Captanne said:

He was also about to rape her -- right?  He told her on that phone call that he was going to stay the night and didn't give her any room to say no.  His intentions were clear.

I didn't get that impression.  It was pretty clear they were fuck buddies and he was way more into her than she was. She was basically using him as a release while pining for Jessie while he wanted to actually be in a relationship with her.  He had to be out before the kids woke up, etc.  I believe his saying he was going to stay the night was not about sex (consensual or not) but moving their status from fuck friends to boyfriend girlfriend who have adult sleepovers.

Edited July 28, 2016 by Unclejosh

[ghoulina]

22 minutes ago, Unclejosh said:

I didn't get that impression.  It was pretty clear they were fuck buddies and he was way more into her than she was. She was basically using him as a release while pining for Jessie while he wanted to actually be in a relationship with her.  He had to be out before the kids woke up, etc.  I believe his saying he was going to stay the night was not about sex (consensual or not) but moving their status from fuck friends to boyfriend girlfriend who have adult sleepovers.

I got more of an impression of her being a single mom, with no help, and he was using his position as Mayor to kind of get what he wants from her. I asked my husband, just to get a male perspective and that's exactly what he saw as well. Obviously we don't have all the particulars, but I imagine he saw in her distress once, offered to help, and then  did some manipulative, passive aggressive song and dance to let her know that he'd help her, but she needs to put out. I'm not saying she's a completely innocent victim, but I got a real skeezy vibe off him. He has a way of handling himself in a non-overtly aggressive way, but there's this implication floating just below the surface. 

[Unclejosh]

Wow, I never got that impression at all. From day 1 I saw a weak loser who was willing to take whatever this woman he was into would give him which apparently consisted of taking care of her kids when she was busy with Jesse and the occasional booty call. She even said flat out that they would never be "together" as she got undressed and he followed implying that he was good enough to bang at her demand but not good enough to actually be a real part of her life.  His position as Mayor never seemed to come up at all.  He could have been a box boy at the grocery store for what I gathered.  Maybe I missed something?

Edited July 28, 2016 by Unclejosh

[Captanne]

But didn't he say on the phone in a threatening way, "I'll be staying the night."  She, who had already made her mind up to feed him to Cassidy, agreed to his statement (which was clearly a demand) because she knew it would never get that far.

Maybe I misheard that?

 

This is the moment and the call where I heard that conversation:  

 Cassidy isn’t healing very well. Tulip has pretty much depleted the town’s animal supply in an attempt to help him regenerate. She enlists Emily to help take care of Cassidy so that she can go out and kill Carlos in Albuquerque. Mind you this is the first time Emily finds out Cassidy is a vampire. It’s pretty cruel having to watch sweet Emily carry a little squeaking guinea pig to its death so she can feed Cassidy who, by the way, looks like a feral beast.

So Emily calls a not-so-unexpected guest over and feeds him to Cassidy. Oh, you know, just the town Mayor who is hopelessly in love with her. Killing two birds with one stone, huh, Emily? One less person on Quincannon’s side to tear down the church and one less creepy suitor. Score!

 

http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/preacher-recap-season-1-episode-9-finish-the-song-saint-of-killers-1201818885/

Edited July 28, 2016 by Captanne

[pezgirl7]

My impression of Emily and the mayor's relationship was that Emily was using him, to get him to take care of her kids and run errands. I think sleeping with him was both a way to throw him a bone but also satisfy her desires that were focused towards Jesse. I also took the phone conversation to mean he was going to sleep over and have the kids see him in the morning, which Emily never let happen before.

Interesting idea about the angels being the demon and angel that spawned Genesis. I thought when they were telling the story though, they didn't approve of the coupling and called it disgusting. Am I remembering wrong? Why would they talk about their love that way?

[Snookums]

pezgirl17, yes, they did. Maybe they were trying to convince themselves of that, maybe they were putting on a show for Heavenly powers or trying to throw Jesse off their trail, convince him they had seen the error of their ways? (Not that Jesse or any other human would jump automatically to "disgust," but that's the reaction they'd be used to.)

As for Emily and her late suitor, I stand by my assessment of how she saw the relationship. NOT to excuse throwing him to Cassidy; there's plenty of people in town more richly deserving of that fate. And not because Miles would have seen things that way--not in a million years. But because stalking and encroachment aren't always like in a Lifetime movie--terrifying, violent and overtly threatening. A lot of times they're as subtle as the grass growing around your ankles that you never get around to mowing. Because it's such a hot, distasteful chore, and it's no sooner done then you have to do it again, damn grass, it never quits, always sprouting and slithering around, and it's just easier to ignore that soon it's going to be waist high and swallowing your pets and kids and driveway if you don't do something. Until the day you mow it down.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

6 hours ago, Captanne said:

He was also about to rape her -- right?  He told her on that phone call that he was going to stay the night and didn't give her any room to say no.  His intentions were clear.

I didn't hear it that way.  In the past, she's slept with him but didn't want him to stay over for the kids to find.  I believe she previously mentioned that the kids almost caught him once when he did stay.  I think he was testing the limits to see what she would say.  She wasn't focused on the conversation, and didn't say "no." If she had said "no", perhaps he would have agreed, or maybe he would have declined to pick up the kids this time.  We'll never know.

[Sunnydayman]

On July 25, 2016 at 11:23 AM, Sandman87 said:

She can probably get Tulip to help out, now that they're at the "feed my pet vampire while I'm out of town" stage of friendship. Or would that be "feed my vampire some pets?" Whatever.

When the Angels got on the bus, I half expected that when they got the Hell they'd be back at the same bus stop where they started. Because I've seen that same gag done with an elevator on Angel.

There's something very wrong with us. We're fine with people getting killed, but animals are off limits.

Thank you for saying that.  

[Captanne]

I'll drop the subject but has she slept with him?  I thought she made it abundantly clear that they would never be "a thing".  How do folks know she slept with him?

I'm starting to get very frustrated with this show.

[pezgirl7]

10 minutes ago, Captanne said:

I'll drop the subject but has she slept with him?  I thought she made it abundantly clear that they would never be "a thing".  How do folks know she slept with him?

I'm starting to get very frustrated with this show.

In the first or second episode, they were sitting at her kitchen table at night, drinking wine, and she tells him something like "You know we're never gonna be together, right"? He's kind of shocked and sad, but says Yes. Then she gets up and takes her pants off in front of him and walks into her bedroom, and says something about how he has to make sure he's gone by the time the kids get up, because they almost saw him last time. I just remember kind of being shocked by her behavior, because up until then, she seemed like a typical goody two-shoes.

[Dirtybubble]

I see it as Miles wanted more from Emily.  Like a family, that's why he was inviting himself over, washing her sneakers, etc.,etc.  No I never picked up on a violence/rape side at all to his phone call.  Just trying to push the idea on her so yeah he was pushy but not violent. 

So yeah very harsh what happened to him and the cold way she told Jesse that his mate was inside.  As if she didn't care Jesse would see the corpse of Miles or anything like that. 

Like I've said before I've never liked the Emily character and I hope she gets "it" some way or another in Sunday's episode.  I don't think I can take another season of her.

[festivus]

4 hours ago, Dirtybubble said:

Like I've said before I've never liked the Emily character and I hope she gets "it" some way or another in Sunday's episode.  I don't think I can take another season of her.

I don't like her either. While some have have been busy not liking Tulip, I've been using up all my dislike for Emily. I quite like Tulip. I don't know about whether the mayor was bad or not but what I was thinking even when she fed Cassidy the guinea pig is why is she doing this, she doesn't even like Cassidy.  I didn't get it.

[Sunnydayman]

I'm not sure there is a redeemable character in the show.  I thought that both Myles and Emily were good but he was Qincannon killed those people and did nothing.  Emily sentenced a guy to death because "he couldn't take the hint".  Tulip has been a bad influence on Jesse since the were kids and Cassidy is an animal.  

That being said I'll keep watching but there is no one to root for.

[Dirtybubble]

Quote

 While some have have been busy not liking Tulip, I've been using up all my dislike for Emily. I quite like Tulip. I don't know about whether the mayor was bad or not but what I was thinking even when she fed Cassidy the guinea pig is why is she doing this, she doesn't even like Cassidy.  I didn't get it.

ITA!  I too like Tulip and have been rooting for her since the beginning.  I guess I like that she owns her badass ways.  There's no hiding behind a cardigan (like Emily) and pretending to be something she's not.  Someone that comes right out and says here I am take it or leave it is ok with me.  I guess with Emily she has a christian attitude one minute and then is smashing her children's iPad over jealousy (I guess) and feeding annoying boyfriends to a vampire the next minute.  Enh  can't wrap my brain around her either.  Don't care for her at all.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

13 hours ago, Sunnydayman said:

Cassidy is an animal.

But one with a moral code and a conscience, something rare in this show.

[PatternRec]

Miles was a tool, but not a 'deserves to be fed to a vampire' tool. Jeez. 

[Conan Troutman]

On 7/28/2016 at 7:25 AM, Snookums said:

Guys, I don't think they're just a couple; I think they're the couple. The angel and demon who fell in love, did a special handshake, and made baby Genesis.

If they're indeed a couple, it would make a ton of sense for them to be Genesis' parents. That would probably imply that they're more powerful than we thought - they always struck me as the low-level, do-the-dirty-work type, but maybe they just screwed up (by conceiving Genesis, losing control of it or both) and are now being punished. Or were given a last chance to retrieve Genesis, but now that they took too long (and haven't answered their phone for a while), Heaven got impatient and decided to send the other angel to take care of the problem - and Fiore and DeBlanc basically went rogue in order to protect their child. 

8 hours ago, Dirtybubble said:

 I guess with Emily she has a christian attitude one minute and then is smashing her children's iPad over jealousy (I guess) and feeding annoying boyfriends to a vampire the next minute.  Enh  can't wrap my brain around her either.  Don't care for her at all.

That weird mixture is exactly what I like. You get a pretty good feeling for where to place the other characters, but she's the only truly unpredictable wild card so far. I found her pragmatic, nonchalant way of dealing with the Mayor problem really refreshing, as opposed to all the constant moral dilemmas you see when the good guys struggle to take out a villain that clearly needs to be offed - it's not like she killed some innocent kid or burned a puppy. 

[SoSueMe]

On 7/28/2016 at 1:25 AM, Snookums said:

Guys, I don't think they're just a couple; I think they're the couple. The angel and demon who fell in love, did a special handshake, and made baby Genesis.

It's clear they don't want to be separated, they don't want each other to make a physical sacrifice of their sexy human bodies to the travel agent, blah blah blah. But I've been thinking this for a while, and what sealed it for me is when DeBlanc says, when they agree to call Heaven, that Fiore has "no idea what it's like down there"--that is, in hell. It makes sense that a demon would have a better handle on how to act "human" than an angel, and that an angel would be more tempted by fast food commercials and comic books because he's not usually around them. 

So their punishment has basically been being their kid's jailers until it somehow escaped its coffee can prison, said they can't make it clean up its room or do its homework if it doesn't wanna, and ran off. Jesse is the equivalent of a car Genesis stole for a joyride. 

 

Wow, great theory  SNOOKUMS. I hope you are right.

And that personal little baby lullaby, wynken, blynken & nod fits right in. It is probably Genesis' very favorite :)

[SoSueMe]

Also, Genesis isn't exactly all heavenly, exploding preachers and Tom Cruise, temper tantrums.  And I remember when the angels were rehearsing their explanation in the bathroom, DeBlanc said to Fiore something like "don't worry you're the cute one, they love you up there." 

[Sunnydayman]

On July 29, 2016 at 9:21 AM, ItCouldBeWorse said:

But one with a moral code and a conscience, something rare in this show.

i can't say I see the moral code but but I didn't dislike him before he chickenized a non criminal human being.  Cassidy is usually pretty funny.

[pezgirl7]

I also just realized when the travel agency lady asked for the angel's occupations, DeBlanc said serial killer. I thought at first it was a joke, but maybe he really was a serial killer and that's why he was in hell!

[Sandman87]

4 hours ago, pezgirl7 said:

I also just realized when the travel agency lady asked for the angel's occupations, DeBlanc said serial killer. I thought at first it was a joke, but maybe he really was a serial killer and that's why he was in hell!

Remember the "Would you ever really want to meet an angel" speech from The Prophecy? Serial killing and mass murder is part of an angel's job.

[SoSueMe]

Whoa, I'm watching the marathon and I just saw something I had forgotten. Maybe it's been covered here? In the pilot when Cassidy first stumbles into the bar after bailing from the plane, he makes his way to a payphone and he's requesting money and trying to figure out how "they" keep finding him. At that point he thinks the angels are after him. Anyway, can someone refresh me on who it is he's talking to? Thanks.

[Sandman87]

I don't think they covered that yet. I assume it's either another vampire, or some acquaintance that he's trusted with his secret. I'm a little curious about who "they" are.

[pezgirl7]

Yea, I think he was calling another group of vampires, or maybe just the one who sired him. According to Talking Preacher after the first episode, "they" is just a group of vampire haters trying to kill them. The same group that attacked Cassidy on the plane.

[ganesh]

Well, I liked the end because we got to see some resolution to the Gettysburg cowboy, and he's coming back to hunt the preacher. Although if Genesis likes possessing the preacher, she/he/whatever isn't going to take kindly to having the host shot at. 

I do like the concept of hell being someone reliving the same day. 

This show is up and down though. I hope TPTBs really think through the actual execution of the show for next season. Some episodes just have been a loose connection of scenes. 

[Ubiquitous]

On ‎7‎/‎24‎/‎2016 at 11:52 PM, pezgirl7 said:

People in Hell seem to be living through their own personal hell, so I wonder what Eugene's is? Is he reliving the rejection and the shooting over and over?

I think that since Eugene didn't arrive via conventional means, i.e., he was teleported there, he didn't die and his soul went there, he's wandering around looking at everyone else's personal hells, kinda like how Fiore and DeBlanc met The Cowboy, but I am remembering this running gag from Amazon Women on the Moon, I think, with an old man wearing a bathrobe wandering into various sketches calling for his wife.

On ‎7‎/‎26‎/‎2016 at 3:38 AM, SnarkyTart said:

Haha, I thought the same.  Speaking of Tulip's uncle, we've seen him in every episode, but we've never seen him awake/conscious.  I know we're supposed to ass/u/me he's passed out all the time, but I'm beginning to think there's more to it than we've been shown.

On a related note, I noticed those rival mascots are always wearing their costumes...

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2016 at 11:16 AM, Captanne said:

I thought it was very pointed that she reappeared and he didn't see her.  In other words, they made a clear point that he strangled her and had absolutely no idea of who or what she is.  He killed a suffering but alive woman, with the ability to still speak intelligible words, with his bare hands while staring her in the eyes -- and that's all he knows.

I was half expecting her to tap the sheriff on the shoulder, possibly before killing him, but it seemed like he was in a trance when he strangulated the limbless Seraph, almost as if she commanded him to do it.

On ‎7‎/‎28‎/‎2016 at 1:02 PM, pezgirl7 said:

My impression of Emily and the mayor's relationship was that Emily was using him, to get him to take care of her kids and run errands. I think sleeping with him was both a way to throw him a bone but also satisfy her desires that were focused towards Jesse. I also took the phone conversation to mean he was going to sleep over and have the kids see him in the morning, which Emily never let happen before.

That was the impression I got as well. Miles had a thing for Emily but wasn't getting the clue that she wasn't interested in him. Emily became so frustrated that she fed him Cassidy.